


Elements

by Amaati



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, Slight Canon Divergence, Slight OOC, im sad so i wrote this, so its not my best work, there is no beta reader so its probably filled with mistakes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-21
Updated: 2015-11-21
Packaged: 2018-05-02 15:03:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5252678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amaati/pseuds/Amaati
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They were young, just kids, and all Haru remembered was his heart hammering in his chest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Elements

It all started when Haruka met Rin. They were young, just kids, and all Haru remembered was his heart hammering in his chest. He remembered Rin's grin, the feeling of restlessness in his chest, and Makoto's welcoming yet uneasy smile. Haru never really believed in people having a purpose in each other's life, but then Rin came along. Haru felt something inside him tell him that Rin's purpose in his life was to change it. He just did not know how.

"I came here to swim. The fact that I met you is entirely coincidence." Rin lied. Rin, Makoto, and Haru all stood together by the pool during swim practice. Rin thought he was doing a good job at lying but everyone knew he came because of Haru. Makoto was polite enough to laugh it off.

Haru didn't bother with Rin. He did not like him. Rin made his heart beat faster, he changed his mind about how Haru felt about swimming, he made him forget about everything else, he made him forget about Makoto. 

As Haru began attending more swimming classes, Rin did too. Makoto could not come as much because he actually had a family that expected him to be home. So, with Makoto gone Haru began to spend more time with Rin. Rin always said things that would make Haru think and make his ears feel hot. 

"It's romantic, right?" Rin said one day after class, and his smile made Haru stop breathing for a second. Only water could do that, Haru thought. 

From then on Rin became Haru's water. A strange foreign force that drove him to do things no one else could convince him to do.

So, when Rin left for Australia he thought it was over, but it wasn't. 

Haru continued his life, without Rin. He would think about Rin often, but as time passed on, after Haru quit the swim team, he thought of him less. Makoto worried about him, constantly, but quietly. Haru knew Makoto would glance worriedly at him, thinking Haru did not notice. Haru noticed. If it's Makoto, he always noticed. 

"Haru, you're not joining the swim team?.." Makoto had asked one day in junior high. Makoto still collecting his belongings at the back of the classroom, while Haru stood at the front of the classroom. 

"No." Haru answered, and left, tired of waiting for Makoto. 

Their walks home remained the same for a while after Rin left, but sometimes Makoto would stop talking halfway, there were some days where he would not talk at all. 

Then they entered high school.

During first year, Haru looked up at Makoto because something was out of place. Usually Haru stood between the beach and Makoto, but that day Makoto stood between him and the ocean. Makoto was not looking at Haru, like he usually did. He was looking straight ahead with a faraway look on his face.

"Haru, many things have changed since we were kids, right?" Makoto said. He looked at Haru, green eyes focused on him. It was then Haru looked at Makoto. Really looked at him. He had not realized how tall he had gotten, how broad his shoulders were, how tired his eyes looked. A heavy feeling grew in his chest, a feeling he thought he would never associate Makoto with. 

"Yeah.. I guess," was all Haru said. He had wanted to ask why Makoto said that, but Haru never said anything more than he needed to. They did not breathe another word to each other the entire walk home.

Except, the heavy feeling in Haru's chest grew. Every time he would look at Makoto. No matter what the circumstances were, the feeling weighed more each day. Some days he would forget about it, until Makoto smiled at him. Then Haru felt like he breathed in too much oxygen for a moment.  
What did Haru do about it? Nothing, of course. 

Because this feeling was change, and Makoto and Haru didn't change. That's why they have been friends for so long. Makoto and Haru always had a routine, and that's how it will always be.

But... Makoto liked going to places. He liked seeing new sights, talking to people,but Haru did not. So, they never went anywhere without Makoto's parents forcing them to go. It wasn't until the feeling in Haru's chest grew too big that on a hot summer day in Haru's house, Haru found himself saying, 

"Let's go somewhere."

Makoto was so shocked he choked on his popsicle. "W-what?"

"Nothing.." 

"Wait, no. I heard you. " Makoto quickly said. "Uh, you want to go somewhere?"

"Sure.."

"Well.. Uh.." Makoto paused, unsure of himself for a moment before stuttering "We could go tree planting?.."

It sounded boring. 

"Yeah, okay." 

By then end of it Haru's arm killed, Makoto was covered in dirt, they both smelled horrid, sweat drenched both of them, but Haru would not trade that memory for anything. He initially regretted coming when he felt the burn in his arms, but one good look at Makoto's breathless laugh, and Haru tucked that memory with him for countless nights. The stars were his only witness for Haru's soundless smile. 

It did not take long for Rin to enter his life once again. Like the last time he came, it was through force. Like water. 

Except, Makoto was right. Things were different. They were older now, but Rin still made him feel restless.

The day Rin closed in on him against the fence was the day Haru had his first kiss. Rin did what he did best; he made Haru unable to breathe.

And just like that, Rin was gone.Their shouts forgotten, but the kiss lingered. 

When Haru saw Makoto again that day, he felt like crying. He didn't know why, but his throat ached, and his eyes wandered everywhere except Makoto's face.

Makoto was right. Things are different

When Haru and Rin kissed again, it was Haru who made the first move. They were in their third year. Rin was talking to some tall guy at his school, black hair and beautiful turquoise eyes. Haru, who stood at the other side of the Samezuka pool, felt a burst of anger. For a second, Haru thought it was jealousy, but he quickly knew it wasn't. Haru was simply angry. At what? He didn't know. 

They were in the change room, Rin was laughing at some joke he made, and Makoto quietly walked out of the room and it was just the two of them. Rin made another joke, and suddenly Haru wanted to wipe that smile off his face, even if it was through a kiss. Why? because how dare Rin- 

"Haru! What the hell was that-" 

"How does it feel?" He asked, his chest heaving. "You have someone, right?"

"Is this because I kissed-"

"I asked how it felt." Haru said, looking past Rin and into Rin's locker mirror. "To kiss someone, even though you have someone else."

Suddenly, Rin knew. Haru knew Rin knew. Rin swallowed to rid himself of the ache in his throat, but it wouldn't go away. 

"Shut up."

Their relationship resumed, but as friends. They never mentioned their two kisses, but they remained friends. 

Haru saw Rin with Sousuke more. Haru stole a glance at them, and felt relief. Rin cried a lot. He cried more around Haru, but with Sousuke, he always smiled. Crying was inevitable with Rin, but Sousuke brought a tender shine to Rin's tears.

When their last year was nearing its end, Haru, Makoto, Rei, and Nagisa decided to end of the year with Sobo. Nagisa, and Rei wandered off to play games, while Makoto and Haru went to a little souvenir vendor. There were small fortunes and scrolls based on zodiac signs, and Makoto liked his sign's quote, so naturally, he bought one for himself and one for Haru. Haru didn't bother reading his quote.

Haru's world tipped no more than thirty minutes after that. Makoto and Haru fought for the first time. And, when Haru ran away from Makoto that day after saying "do whatever you want." He meant it.

Makoto was allowed to do anything he wanted, it never occurred to Haru that it may have been Haru that was stopping him. 

As he lay at night, he did not get a wink of sleep. He spent the entire night thinking about the places Makoto wanted to go, the sights he wanted to see, the people he wanted meet, but Makoto never got to do any of that. 

Why? Because Haru did not want to any of those things, so why should Makoto?

Haru never felt so sick in his life, so Rin's knock at his door came the next morning followed by two tickets to Australia. He took the chance. 

They never did anything intimate, despite sleeping on the same bed for two nights. Haru toured Australia, he saw the sights Makoto wanted to see, met people Makoto wanted to meet, and finally got a dream for himself. 

When they came back to Iwatobi, Rin went straight to Sousuke, and Haru went to Makoto.

Over the course of their last few months of high school Haru smiled more. Makoto, and Haru went to parks, cafes, and all the places Makoto wanted to go. It seemed like Makoto, too, knew Haru's limit on going outside so he would not ask him that often. 

On one of last few days of school, Haru was walking home with Makoto, Haru walked between Makoto and the ocean. He looked over at him to find Makoto looking back at him. For a moment, Haru thought he was looking at the ocean, which made Haru look over too.

"Haru, is everything okay?" Haru didn't know what Makoto was referring to and gazed away at the ocean for two more seconds before looking up at Makoto.

Haru inhaled softly, and felt calm. He ghosted his hands over Makoto's, and thought that maybe, it has always been this way. Haru just had been too scared to do anything about it.

He thought to himself that if Rin was his water, than Makoto would be his air. 

"Yeah." Haru smiled "I'm okay."

He continued on with Makoto. Haru didn't know where this story truly began. Maybe, it started with Rin. Maybe, it started with Makoto, but then again with Makoto, Haru didn't know where to begin. The only part Haru was certain about was that

Somehow

It would always be Makoto.

**Author's Note:**

> The quote this story is based on:
> 
> "The Buddhists say if you meet somebody and your heart pounds, your hands shake, your knees go weak, that’s not the one. When you meet your ‘soul mate’ you’ll feel calm. No anxiety, no agitation."
> 
> P.S That's what Haru's scroll said.
> 
> P.S.S have any questions? ask me on amaati.tumblr.com


End file.
